Hello there, fellow poets, teachers, and lovers of children’s verse! It’s time again for this week’s Children’s Poetry Blog Post Roundup. I’m excited to share the latest news and wonderful happenings from the world of children’s poetry for the past week. Let’s take a look at what our friends in the poetry community have been up to!
Children’s Poetry Summit
Over at the Children’s Poetry Summit, Neal Zetter shared some thought-provoking insights in his post Neal Zetter: Talking Up Poetry. He makes a strong case that children’s poetry is often overlooked in bookshops, suffering from poor selection and low visibility. Neal encourages poets, teachers, and readers to speak with bookshop staff to help ensure more contemporary poetry is stocked and showcased.
Danna Smith Book Blog
Danna Smith had a couple of interesting posts this week. In Why Painting Fuels My Writing Process, she beautifully explains how turning to painting and drawing offers a creative reprieve that, in turn, fuels her writing process. She also introduced her charming new board book, Bunny’s Easter Basket, illustrated by Kathryn Selbert, in her post Hop into Learning with My Book, Bunny’s Easter Basket!, describing it as a festive holiday treat that works all year round.
David L. Harrison
Our prolific friend David L. Harrison shared a few updates. In New article in California Reading, he discussed his recently published article in the California Reading Association’s Reading Journal, “Reflections from an Author and Poet, Where Are the Stories?,” where he argues for more inspiring stories in children’s publishing. He also shared his thoughts on publisher etiquette in More than courtesy, lamenting the lack of rejection responses from publishers and the erosion of the writer-editor connection. Looking ahead, David announced a special Zoom poetry reading and Q&A on February 26th in Mark your calendar for February 26, featuring all seven surviving Missouri poets laureate, including Justin Hamm, MaryFrances Wagner, Karen Crago, Aliki Barnstone, William (Bill) Trowbridge, Walter Bargen, and David himself. Finally, a post on his blog mentioned his current projects, including drafting an article with Tim Rasinski for The Robb Review about 40 Poems for 40 Weeks and considering a school visit in Chicopee, Missouri.
DreamBeast Poems
Mark Bird at DreamBeast Poems offered a helpful resource for educators and parents in his post 5 Picture Books About Being Different for Kids. He highlighted five wonderful picture books that explore themes of individuality and celebrate what makes each of us unique, aiming to foster understanding and appreciation in young readers.
Imagine the Possibilities
Rose Cappelli joined the Poetry Friday celebration with her post Poetry Friday: Celebrating the Lunar New Year. She participated in a postcard exchange and shared a lovely cento poem to honor the Lunar New Year. She also graciously pointed readers to Robyn Hood Black‘s Poetry Friday roundup.
Kate Williams
Kate Williams treated us to a fascinating poem in her post Jaguars and Jaguars. She shared a child-friendly yet slightly mysterious poem from her book of animal poems, Squeak! Squawk! Roar!, suggesting it as a great starting point for creative writing or classroom discussions on rainforests and endangered species.
Laura Purdie Salas
This week, Laura Purdie Salas expressed her gratitude to readers and shared a beautiful new tricube in her post The Unsaid Thing, a Tricube. Inspired by her wedding anniversary and Valentine’s Day, her poem, “The Unsaid Thing,” speaks to the importance of passionate communication. She also sent love to the Poetry Friday community and acknowledged Robyn Hood Black‘s roundup.
Live Your Poem
Irene Latham‘s Live Your Poem blog was bustling with activity, welcoming Shannon Bramer in a post titled Nightmare Jones by Shannon Bramer. The post highlighted Shannon Bramer‘s book, Nightmare Jones, including a poem that cleverly features “Aunt Irene,” and showcased Shannon’s creative responses to prompts inspired by Irene’s “Fresh Delicious.” Additionally, the post touched on a Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip, upcoming critique-group signups, an ArtSpeak feature on Augusta Savage, process notes on a tricube, and Irene’s closing poem, To a Newborn.
Michelle Schaub Writes
Michelle Schaub extended a valuable invitation in her post Master The Flow Webinar. She announced that she and fellow Rhyme Doctor Patricia Toht will be hosting a picture book craft webinar through The Children’s Book Insider, promising a wealth of tips and techniques for writing lyrical picture books that truly sing.
My Juicy Little Universe
On Climate Friday, Heidi Mordhorst shared a heartfelt post that featured “The Medicine,” a beautiful February love-poem to possibility and our planet. This piece imagines hopeful climate futures, speaking of solidarity, renewable energy, and purposeful action as a photovoltaic prayer. Since the original post had no title or direct link provided, we’re unable to link to it, but Heidi’s message of hope and connection to the natural world resonated deeply.
Poetry Pop
Danna Smith also posted on Poetry Pop this week, with Exploring the Intersection of Art and Words. Here, she discussed her creative process, explaining how she often turns to painting and drawing when her words stall, finding a restorative outlet in the visual arts that complements her immersion in poetry and children’s books.
Poetry for Children
Sylvia Vardell brought us an exciting Cover Reveal: A Poem for Dudley Randall:. She unveiled the dynamic cover for Don Tate and Laura Freeman’s upcoming Abrams picture-book biography, A Poem for Dudley Randall, Poet and Publisher of the Black Arts Movement. The book is set to release on September 15, 2026, and promises to be a captivating look at Dudley Randall‘s life as a poet and founder of Broadside Press during the civil rights era.
Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme
Matt Forrest Esenwine got into the Valentine’s mood with a humorous twist in his Poetry Friday: “Zombies in Love” post. He shared his tongue-in-cheek poem, “Zombies in Love,” and took the opportunity to thank libraries and peers for their support. Matt also promoted his children’s books, school visits, and gave a shout-out to the Poetry Friday Roundup.
Reflections on the Teche
Margaret Simon shared several thoughtful posts this week. For Poetry Friday, she offered a review of Poems for Every Season: A Year of Haiku, Sonnets, and More by Bette Westera, translated by David Colmer, in Poetry Friday: Poems for Every Season, celebrating its variety of forms and seasonal themes. She also crafted a beautiful cento poem, “Roaming the Seasons,” inspired by the collection, and mentioned Robyn Hood Black hosting the roundup. In This Photo Wants to be a Poem: Out of Ashes, Margaret used Beth S.’s artwork, Out of Ashes, as a springboard for creativity, presenting her own haiku adaptation and encouraging readers to try their hand at short poems. Finally, in a “Slice of Life” post Slice of Life: Did You Kiss?, she shared a poem inspired by Laura Shovan‘s February project on mysteries and secrets.
Salt City Verse
Janice Scully at Salt City Verse shared a reflective post titled Bird Message. She included a lovely pen and wash drawing from the Pacifica coast and contemplated the symbolism of the raven as a powerful messenger. Janice also expressed gratitude for a New Year’s postcard exchange organized by Joan MacCulloch and involving Linda Mitchell, Gail Aldous, Carol LaBuzzetta, and Patricia Franz, and gave a nod to Robyn Hood Black for hosting Poetry Friday.
Shaun Jex
And finally, Shaun Jex found inspiration in the Winter Olympics for his post Gold Medal Poems: Poetry and the Winter Olympics. After watching the opening ceremonies, he offered a creative winter-sport poetry prompt and shared a quartet of example poems to help spark readers’ own writing on athletic themes.
That’s it for this week. Check back next Saturday for a fresh batch of poetry goodness. In the meantime, keep on reading, writing, and having fun!
- Weekly Children’s Poetry Roundup – Saturday, February 14, 2026 - February 14, 2026
- My Brother’s in Love with His Mirror - February 9, 2026
- Weekly Children’s Poetry Roundup – Saturday, February 7, 2026 - February 7, 2026
